How to Adjust Glasses

Are your glasses constantly sliding down your face or pinching your nose? Chances are you need to make some adjustments. You can adjust your glasses yourself most of the time, but if your spectacles are extremely out of whack, you may need to take them to your optometrist or eye glass specialist to be fixed.

Tools to Have on Hand

Glasses get bent out of shape with little notice. To avoid walking around with uneven glasses, make sure you have these tools on hand to make any needed adjustments: a non-abrasive cleaning cloth, a small Phillips screwdriver, a small flathead screwdriver, and needle-nose pliers. The screwdrivers are necessary for tightening or loosening the small screws connecting the arms of your glasses. The pliers can adjust the temples and the bridge—just make sure you purchase pliers with smooth edges since serrated edges can damage glasses.

Glasses 101: Three Common Types of Glasses

Eye glass frames generally come in four types: plastic, full metal, semi-rimless, and rimless. Plastic frames are the least pliable. If your plastic frames need major adjusting, you’ll have to take them to an eye doctor, minor adjustments can be done on your own. Glasses consist of ear pieces, temples (the part where the long arms connect to the frame), a bridge that fits on your nose, and may have nose pads.

How to Adjust Plastic Frames

If your plastic glasses are sliding down your face or are wobbly when you place them on a level surface, you can adjust the temples by adjusting the screw hinges. This can be done with a screwdriver or by grasping the glasses and bending the temple up or down. As with all adjustments, only apply a minimum level of force so as not to break your frames. If your frames are seriously out of whack, take them to an eye doctor. An optometrist will place your glasses in a hotbox for a few seconds. This will soften the plastic and make it pliable. The frames will be expanded or pushed together to make either a tighter or looser fit. Once cooled, your glasses will be fully adjusted.

How to Adjust Full Metal, Semi-Rimless, or Rimless Frames

To see if the temples of your glasses need to be adjusted, set your frames on a level surface and see if they’re off-balance. If they aren’t balanced, use the needle-nosed pliers to gently pinch near the corner where the frame meets the arm and move the frame slightly downward or upward, depending on which side is off-balance. The key is to be gentle. You don’t want to pinch hard enough to snap your glasses.

If your glasses are digging into your head or ear, the ear pieces need to be adjusted. You can do this by grasping the frame before the curve of the ear piece and bending it away from or toward the frame. If the ear piece is too curved, straighten it.

If your glasses are digging into your nose or your glasses are sitting too high or too low, adjust the nose pads. Grab the frame and use your thumb and forefinger to twist the pads, Make sure they’re balanced.